Health | April 7th 2017

What She Eats: Alison Wu

Meet Alison Wu, the recipe developer and food & wardrobe stylist with tons of fun colorful dishes and a modern aesthetic. Based in Portland, Oregon, she created her blog, Wu Haus, as a way of showcasing her holistic lifestyle to an open community for all things wellness and style. Alison eats organic and local whenever possible and recently switched over from her vegetarian diet, but she believes that each person should listen to their own bodies and see what works for them. We asked Alison about some of her favorite dishes and what she eats in a typical day, and here’s what she told us:

Pre-Workout

I usually start my day around 6:45 with a tall glass of water and either an adaptogenic bulletproof (with MCT oil) matcha latte made with coconut mylk, or a mug of yerba mate. I’ve tried the no caffeine thing, but it just never really works for me. I’ve kind of accepted that caffeine is my one vice. I do a 90-minute Vinyasa or 60-minute Barre3 class most days, and I don’t like to practice/workout with a full stomach, so I wait until after that to eat breakfast.

Breakfast

For breakfast, I usually eat some version of a gluten- or grain-free avocado toast or a smoothie. My favorite toast usually includes a fresh pastured egg (for a protein boost), half an avocado (healthy fat), greens (minerals) and fermented salsa (to support a healthy gut). My smoothies vary greatly based on my mood, but often include frozen cauliflower, coconut butter, chia, plant-based protein powder, collagen peptides, an array of adaptgens (usually chaga, ashwagandha, tocos and astragalus) and maybe some berries or greens.

Lunch

Lunch is usually a salad bowl of some sort. This is the time when I try to pack in as many greens and/or raw veggies as I can, so usually a kale, spinach or raw cauliflower base. I also love including cooked veggies during the winter, so I’ll roast some greens and seasonal squash.

I love to add spicy roasted chickpeas to my meals for a bit of flavor and substance. My favorite dressing is tahini-lemon-olive oil, sometimes with za’atar to mix it up. It makes the dish so flavorful and delicious.

Afternoon Snack

My go-to snack is homemade nut mylk. My favorite base is Brazil nut mylk (packed with selenium) with a variety of add ins. I’ll add blue algae powder, a drop of peppermint oil and some cacao nibs for a mint cacao chip version, or keep it simple with vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, cardamom and a drizzle of raw honey.

Dinner

Dinner is the most varied meal of the day. It really changes day by day, but a few times a week wild-caught fish or organic chicken rice or quinoa bowls with fermented kraut or kimchi and lots of veggies, either raw or roasted.

Other nights, I’ll make a big batch of sweet potatoes noodles with other veggies and a protein. In the winter, soup is on the menu often, and in the summer, we tend to eat A LOT of salad and love to cook on our grill.